Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” is one of my favorite songs to share in song circles. No matter from which country or what nationality the participants, the song is so beloved by everyone that it’s a pure joy to sing every single time.

It also never fails to inspire a handful of people when I share my story with this song, so I felt compelled to document it here as well:

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In the spring of 2017, I attended my second Ayahuasca ceremony in the deep jungles of Peru. I have vivid memories of an elder sharing songs almost all night – some medicine songs, but mostly Sanskrit mantras, which evoked a deep and long lost feeling in me.

By then, I had lived for more than a decade in the West, as we moved from Bali when I was 10 years old. I had forgotten all about the power of these mantras, but his songs reawakened me to my roots & my past lives. Effortlessly, I was able to join in the chants, surfing on the vibrations of his music, and feeling my voice becoming more & more alive.

Suddenly, he stopped and asked into the round if anyone else liked to share music.

At that moment, I didn’t know a single medicine song by heart. It was only a month ago that I’d discovered this genre. My playlist consisted mostly of techno & deep house with sprinkles of hip-hop & reggae. Additionally, I had never dared to sing in front of other people, believing that I couldn’t really sing in that way.

But something inside me pushed me to share a song, and so I sang the only one that came into my mind: Three Little Birds. Having listened to it countless of times whenever I needed to lift myself up, the lyrics are well etched into my mind.

As I sang, I was surprised about the sound of my own voice. I have never heard myself singing this clear, this loud, this heartfelt. In this moment, I was awakened to the medicine I carry inside of me, and in my song. And the rest of it is know history.

I give thanks to the Shipibo people of the Peruvian Amazon for their traditions & rituals. Thank you to Pran Gopal for those heartfelt songs & mantras during the ceremony.

And of course a big amount of gratitude to Bob Marley, for writing such a simple but timeless song with a profound truth that inspires us even after decades. Thank you for all the joy that it brings and the unity.

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Video from Rise Up Gathering 2023 in Switzerland
Photos from Rise Up Gathering 2022